There’s nothing better on a hot summer day
than a ripe, juicy tomato, picked fresh from my own garden. And since things
are finally heating up outside, it’s time to get 'em growin'. I use one of two ways to plant my tomatoes:
1.
The holey moley method.
Simply dig a hole about the size of a soccer ball, and put a layer of compost
or well-rotted manure mixed with a handful of bonemeal and 1 teaspoon of Epsom
salts in the bottom. Then set the plant in so that only about the top 4 inches
stick up above the soil. (Clip off the lower leaves with scissors first.)
2.
Trench method.
Make a 6-inch-deep trench the length of the planting bed. Spread a thin layer
of compost along the bottom, then trim off the leaves from all but the top 4 inches
of the stem. Lay each plant in the trench horizontally, with the 4-inch leafy
part curved up out of the ground. Pack soil around it so it stays in place, and
then cover up the rest of the stem with soil.
And if you want to get the most mouthwatering
tomato crop on the block, treat your plants to my Tomato Booster Tonic.
To whip up a batch:
Mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, 1 teaspoon of baby
shampoo, and 1 gallon of water in a watering can. Generously soak the soil
around your tomato plants in early summer, just as they show a bunch of yellow
flowers, to stimulate fruit set.
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